On Tue, 20 Nov 2001 sopran@a... wrote:
> You might take a look at "Some Children See Him" by Alfred Burt, although
> it's not exactly non-religious, it's very inclusive and may be acceptable. It
> can be very effective.
>
> Other ideas might include:
> the Spanish carols Fum, fum fum or Patapan
> the Wassail Song
> Reger'sThe Virgin's Slumber Song (Maria Wiegenlied)
> The Friendly Beasts
> the spirituals Go Tell it on the Mountain, Rise Up Shepherd or Mary had a Baby
> The Monkey's Carol by Charles V. Stanford
> The Oxen by Ralph V. Williams
> The Two Shepherd Boys
> If I But Had a Little Coat
> Star Candles or The Little Road to Bethlehem by Michael Head
> ...and there's even a Huron Indian Carol in which God becomes "Gitchie
> Manitou," the shepherds are hunters and the wise men are chiefs from afar
> bearing gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
The trouble is, these all *are* religious, except for the "Wassail Song" -
wihch unfortunately isn't all that "inspiring" except to people who like
to drink. Also, as gorgeous as it is, I doubt the Reger would qualify as
being particularly interesting to children.
By the way, I had immediately thought of "Fum fum fum", "Patapan", and
"The Little Drummer Boy" - but all three are definitely "Jesus' birthday"
songs. The reason I suggested "Good King Wenceslas" is that it makes no
reference at all to Christmas or Christ, and it can be completely
secularized with only the change of two words in Verse 5.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
---
Hillaire Belloc's flawed but insightful essay on Islam:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/HERESY4.TXT
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsyl., 1759
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